Since the pioneering days of the sport, different snowboard stances have defined different snowboard styles. Some stances are better for carving, other stances are better for stomping airs and riding switch. Finding the stance that best fits your riding style will take some experimenting, but you can get a jump start by referencing the stance of a pro rider or friend who’s riding style you find inspiring. Chances are, if that stance works for them, it just might work for you too.

Here’s a rundown of the stances used by a few of our talented ambassadors with details on if and how they ever adjust their riding stance:

Jeremy Jones

Jeremy Jones is a pioneering freerider + snow surfer and the father of two ripping groms. He rides a lot of different boards and runs a very diverse stance program. He changes his stance by the feel of the day on every board he rides. By changing his stance he looks to accentuate the performance of that model/size board and avoid creating the same wear points in his joints.

Jeremy’s High Performance Freeride Stance:
Goofy
Height 5’8" (173cm)

Front +27° / Back 0° to +6°
Width 22in (56cm)

Jeremy’s Surf Series Stance:
Front +27° to +30° / Back +6° to +12°
Width 17.5-20 in (44.5-60cm)

"Don’t be afraid to experiment with your stance. When I am going to the mountain I think about the conditions and how I want to ride the mountain. How can I make it interesting? I adjust my stance for that. Wider for charging, narrower for surfing. Duck for more switch riding. When changing up your stance the first run will feel really weird. Don’t worry about it. After a run or two it will feel normal." - Jeremy Jones

Elena Hight

Elena Hight is a former US Olympic Halfpipe team rider who is now focused on freeriding and backcountry snowboarding.

Regular
Height 5’1" (155cm)
Front +18° / Back 0°
Width 19.5in (49.5cm)

"My stance gives me stability and comfort on my board. When i’m riding comfortably my style can shine though. Sometimes I mess around with the angles just to do it, to try something different, feel different on my board, but usually I come back to my tried and true pretty quickly!" - Elena Hight

Sammy Luebke

Sammy Luebke is a smooth and powerful fall line freestyler and a 3-time Freeride World Tour Champ.

Regular
Height 5’9" (176cm)
Front +15° / Back -3 °
Width 22 3/4in (57.8cm)

"I found this stance to the best freeride/freestyle stance. It feels the most comfortable on all my boards so I rarely switch it up." - Sammy Luebke

Nick Russell

Nick Russell is a buttery smooth surf style freerider who splitboards 95% of his days on snow.

Regular
Height 5’9" (176cm)
Front +18° / Back +6°
Width 19.5in (49.5cm)

"It’s taken several years to dial in my personal stance. I’ve learned that more angle and a narrower width works well for the way I like to shred. When riding a board like the Lone Wolf or Storm Chaser, I will increase my front angles a bit for more pronounced carving. If I’m planning to get a little more freestyle, I will bring my back foot to 0. If I know I’ll need a more powerful stomping stance, I will widen my stance a hair" - Nick Russell

Iris Lazzareschi

Iris Lazz is a powerful freerider who rips resort and backcountry. She also switches it up between soft boots and hard boots.

Regular
Height 5’8" (173cm)
Front +18° / Back +3°
Width 21in (53.4cm)

"Every once in a while, if I’m riding the resort a lot, I’ll change my stance to see if it fits my style better. Riding style is so dynamic that sometimes I’ll create a habit that makes a different stance feel better than an old one. I also run a different stance on my hard boot splitboard set up. I set the width narrower with a little more positive angle on the back foot." - Iris Lazz

Jimmy Goodman

Jimmy Goodman is an all-mountain master with serious carving, park and steeps skills.

Regular
Height 5’10" (178cm)
Front +23° to +29° / Back 0° to +3°
Width 21.5in (53.4cm)

"My stance gives me the most carving power. On the surf series I increase my angles to get a more directional drive. I’ll leave the back foot at 0 when i’m riding the Aviator in the park for more control taking off switch." - Jimmy Goodman

Neil Mcnab

Neil Mcnab is a veteran freerider and International Mountain Guide. He offers splitboard courses around the world, as well as advanced snowboard skills clinics.

Goofy
Height 6’2" (186cm)
Front +21° or + 24° / Back 0° or -3°
Width 26 in (66cm)

Stance is more than a fashion statement. Your riding stance should be a reflection of your body dimensions, your flexibility and your understanding of how body and board work together in harmony. I’m tall, long in the leg and flexible. My centre of gravity is naturally high, so I need to be able to get it low. I run a wide stance that gives me space between my feet to be able to squat low. The wide stance also helps me pressure the front of the board into the turn and then the rear of the board to finish the turn. I run my binding angles to align my thighs, knees and ankles in a natural pathway and with enough forward angle to give me a clear field of view without having to rotate my upper body too much. I keep my rear foot at zero or -3 so I can roll pressure on to the rear contact points at the end of the turn. When my stance is on the mark my ride feels sweet. If I set my stance narrower or with less angle I feel restrictions in my control and movement patterns. - Neil Mcnab

Forrest Shearer

Forrest Shearer is freeride zen master who brings his surf style to technical backcountry lines.

Goofy
Height 5’10" (178cm)
Front +26° / Back +0°
Width 21in (53.4cm)

"I look at my stance like the radio. You have to keep tuning and looking for what fits the mood. I try and adjust my stance angles a little bit throughout the season to keep my mind fresh. It’s good to keep learning and adapting as a rider and adjusting your stance can help that." - Forrest Shearer

Harry Kearney

Harry Kearney is an all-mountain wizard with a habit of winning banked slalom events.

Regular
Height 5’11" (180cm)
Front +18° / Back 0°
Width 22in (55.8cm)

"I never change angles. I read that Nicolas Mueller rode these angles in an old interview and have gone with that stance ever since. I feel like my stance rides mostly directional, but 0 in back makes switch doable." - Harry Kearney

Taylor Carlton

Taylor Carlton is an all-mountain master with serious freestyle, carving and backcountry skills.

Regular
Height 5’10" (178cm)
Front +12° / Back -3°
Width 21in (53.4cm)

"I like having a little bit of a duck stance because it allows me to ride switch comfortably. It also makes squatting out tricky landings easier. I usually don’t change my stance. I keep it the same for everything so I always feel comfy on my setup." - Taylor Carlton

Ryland Bell

Ryland Bell is a hard charging freerider who loves to ride fast, hit cliffs and slay spine lines.

Regular
Height 6’0" (183cm)
Front +21° / Back -15°
Width 24in (61cm)

"I never change my stance. I’ve just always ridden this way. The wide, duck stance keeps me stable at any speed." - Ryland Bell

Gear 101 | Find your Natural Stance:
Learn how to find your ideal stance width and angles plus how stance effects balance and turn performance here.

Stances summary